LAS MANOS dEL ALMA qUE TE ESCUCHAN

LOVE
ORIGINAL dE
“LAS MANOS dEL ALMA
qUE TE ESCUCHAN”
by Patricia Fernández Villaseñor
junio 27/28/29 del 2000
Sabiendo que sin palabras
tu me hablas, reencuentro
mi asombro de ser vida
cada vez que te escucho.
Porque es al escucharte,
cuando las manos del alma
sondean el cuerpo acariciable
deshabitado, solo, como el mio.
y es que, además, cuando te escucho,
las notas devienen en espejos
donde no se mira un yo, sino
un “tú” un “todos nosotros”.
Y escucho así, el vértigo
de la ascensión al cielo
por las manos que rezan
el eterno “retorno de los brujos”.
Porque la magia es un hecho
en las manos del alma que te
escuchan a ti y a los que crean,
prodigiosos, las artes del sonido.
SHE STANdS, wAITING
HOMBRES COMO TÚ
In the bleak corridors of life
She stands fragile
Unclean, unbathed
Ripened with the odor of time
Based on Photo
“Title Unknown”
by Dorothea Lange
by Joe Navarro
She stands, waiting
For an offering
Money will help
Perhaps to eat, who knows?
Possibly for a cup of coffee
And a warm spot
Maybe a life saving drink
She stands...hopeful
Staring into a sea of indifference
Saving a tattered smile;
Holding on dearly
To a piece of her sanity
Her dirty, sun scorched face
Scans back and forth
Searching for an offering
A life sustaining necessity
Perhaps what she needs most
At this moment is
A smile, eye contact,
Acknowledgement that she exists
by Lady Mariposa (Veronica Sandoval)
Hombres como tú.
of caliche and soquete,
embrace their children on dirt roads
shirtless
Hombres como tú.
of long limbs and buckled mussels
of chest learning to imprint the tiny bulk of men
lay themselves under the wheels of Chevy pick up trucks
Hombres who close their eyes to muck of dead fathers
& do not find refuge in the impaled Santos of their mother’s garden
Hombres exhausted still to the primal frame of Adam
who do not smile out of shame
who tattoo Quetzalcoatl in the holes of their chest
Hombres como tú.
walk the barrio streets of El Valle
& return to the vacuous homes of imperious lovers
to sit in their jardines of hierbitas and rosales
feet woven into the roots of dead mesquite
arms ossified as limbs for children who will never climb them
-2Porque al escucharte así
exorciso los monstruos del abismo
o amo aquel pozo profundo
de aquella soledad donde
venimos y partimos.
así es que al escucharte,
desafiando el supuesto silencio de lo eterno,
vuelvo a sentir que aquello que no oímos
puede escucharse mas allá del alba
y subir como nube a las galaxias
acompasando el giro de los soles
en su tocar, impenetrable parte,
THE fINAL wORd
by Nina Serrano
Love me is my last word
I would be a better person
if I said I love you
Or only uttered Love
It would be a prayer a supplication
To this grand experience called life
But Love me is what I feel
What my greedy heart desires
—goes back for second helpings
Love me is what all the other hearts say too
I hear them behind the faces of
the cool indifference of hooded teenagers
the half asleep elders after Senior Center lunches
the weightlifters wiping sweaty foreheads on gym towels
the punished child walking to the principal’s office
or the studied blank faces of public transit passengers
and the eager faces of tourists
Love me humanity cries
that even floods hurricanes and bombs
can’t silence
A(MUSE)MENT
by reina alejandra prado
Sexiness …
a man comfortable in his skin
gliding effortlessly on the dance floor
arms raised up high
Prayin’
Prayin’
Prayin’
THE CHICkEN MINdEd HEVOLT REVOLT
by Charles Curtis Blackwell
The Bright lights nurse the citites cold gray concrete
Neighboring-hoods-handshaking the politicians down.
Baby me, at night
ohh baby
ohh baby
rest here for a moment on the right breast
before the crime begins to be staged
A revolution to sneak up on you and presist to come
apathy, being the cause guilt, speaking
from Minneapolis to D.C
A.C
D.C
Streets fried like chicken bright
like eye bright in light
go chicken, go
ballet blazing
bullet blazed
Bullets being served in delight’gettin off the revolution
to cum
from whence has thou worked ?”
“no where,” answered today’s youth
ohhh baby
to cum
thighter, and squeeze and tighter
so much so, the sounds of the neighborhood
the sounds of the neighbors
say deeper baby.
www.eltecolote.org
Sexiness …
a man who confidently approaches
our hips grind in synch with the bassline
moviendonos suave, suave.
Leans in to tell me
I like women with curves like yours.
Go behind the DJ booth
stillness echoed with each rain drop on window pane
Affection suspended in the space of our breaths
Go home alone
Journal about the encounters
At 2:30 a.m., text message received from another
Cocky, younger, men think they got something I want
I wait for the hot light of a carne asada
lazy kinda Sunday to return the call
In sunlit kitchen, notice his thick drummer hands
gently chop aguacate, cilantro y limas
each cut a percussive call to approach him
Flirtation intensifies with a look, a smirk
Sexiness is a man comfortable in his skin
I became his Mary Magdalene
Showered him with affection
Bathed him with peppermint and mirth
Washed his feet, kissed his wounds
Soothed his body with gardenias
He was my salvation, desire incarnate
Reminds me to be in my skin
Inhibitions disarmed with the first kiss
Dips me in his stride
Familia
(((NIdO)))
by Adrián Arias
para María, mi madre
Miro la palma de mi mano derecha
hay un mapa
la cierro un poco
para ver las líneas como pliegues pronunciados
como ríos en la tierra
como cortes en el árbol
como labios apretados
y allí estás
pequeño pájaro invisible
con tu luz que es latido
y tu voz que es silencio
con tu último deseo que es poema
anidando estás en mis días sin horas
alimentándote de mis desvelos
arrullándome en secreto
madre tierra
madre piel
madre letra
madre nido
yo que salí de tus entrañas
ahora te acojo en las mías.
“MI CRUz”
by Vickie Vertiz
You were mine; held you in my hands for a
night or two.
Both of us drugged with email poems about
crinoline, escargot,
Lorca’s campos verdes.
Verde, que te quiero verde.
If you were fucked up then, you were good
enough to drive me home.
Old-lady-perfume scented skin and too much
red lipstick
Easily your first vice.
You forgot your dusty black business jacket.
It haunted my hallway for weeks; I could smell
you in there,
a dry–ice potion slinking from under the door,
caressing my ankles when I’d walk away.
I drew tarot cards so you would call to show
me your well–worn b-cups
spilling over from above your ribs, where your
speeding heart lives
and I wanted to.
If our moms could see us now: two hub cities
dykes holding back
like dammed waters for 9 million others who
don’t know their own yearning.
Put your finger there to stop it from coming
and flooding
our neighborhood, the Food for Less, the
softball field,
my daddy’s car.
Familia
INdIAN GIVER
by Sonja Gutierrez
Father whose skin looks more Spanish
than Indian doesn’t understand why mother fills her
suitcase (with acts of kindness) when
she visits her extended family who lives in
México.
Almost five hundred years later, at times I
wonder: Is it the cloaked skin, wanting gold
with no exchange?
Mother gives with her eyes and ears, regardless
of her brown arthritic hands. Father gives his young daughters
shards of words and frowns over two large piercing light-brown eyes—
with interrogating words, in the name of sacred virginity, he stammers,
“¿Verdad que distes las nalgas cabrona?” His words don’t hurt;
they make me giggle—what a
machomagination.
I am their cosmic combination of the Spaniard’s genetic
memory—Hernán Cortés’ aching for unfound love as
he voyaged across the Atlantic to La Española,
to La Habana and then to Tenochtitlán, an
ancient world’s Venezia, where the indigenous peace-battle
fighting for traditions in a no man’s land, a
land flourishing with virgin
blood.
No wonder Malitzin freely poured her tongue and
womanly insides to Hernán, causing
genetic earthquakes and culture shakes. La tierra
es del que la nutre. (Like Malitzin, to the east wind,
Maotaka, while living, eased the schisms in her own
Pohawtan Tribe—Jamestown.)
Mother gives like her entourage of sisters,
comadres and neighbors. They bring atolli,
caldo de pollo, when she is bedridden, and
flores for the Virgencita when looming
weather confines her to her bedroom
before the winter chill . (Her bones weren’t
made for this weather.)
As the illness sets in, I can only imagine her pain:
the piercing thorns stinging her knuckles
and shoulders—throbs that curl her in bed.
(She used to wash bundles of field pants
and shirts next to the river
over cold stone hunched over with her braids held up
like Mexican bread.
I AM fROM TwO dIffERENT
HOMES
by Itzie Alarcón
I am from Aztec Battle cries and Spanish
Conquistadores
I am from Spanish backgrounds and English Borders
From Chilies and tortillas
From dirt roads and grandpa’s horses
I am flowers twisted in braided hair
I am from Abuelita’s cooking and mom’s burnt
attempts
I am from breakfast enchiladas and frozen waffles
I am from Sunday McDonald’s breakfast
From late night quesadillas
And most of all “you’re legs aren’t broken, go make it
yourself.”
I am from two different homes
I am from mommy’s hopes and dreams to daddy’s
little princess
From step moms and daddies
I am from mom’s lingering perfume and big curlers
you sleep in
From daddy’s Harley and fast cars to papi’s Honda
and computers
I am from two different houses but one linked family
I am from sparkly tutus and big head pieces
I am from soccer games and screaming uncles
From pom poms and worn jazz shoes
I’m from jungle gyms and always seeking adventure
I am from playing dress up and pleated skirts
From sleepovers where no one slept
I am from scraped knees and tree climbing
I am from hair spray and bobby pins
From beach days and bonfires
I am from cheer skirts and Friday night lights
I’m from a summer job at the pool
From noisy, fist pumping car rides
To a needle and thread
I am from unforgettable memories
I am from “make me proud” and college is everything
I am from maybe a future teacher or maybe just
maybe
From “follow your dreams and you can do anything”
I am from fears of the future
I am from the pride of my past.
At age thirteen, ice cold water
bit at her hands, leaving blotches
of red on her hands.) I bring back
a micro-waved hot dry towel, I sit by her side and say,
“Ama, si yo fuera tú, fumaría mota. Frida lo hacía.”
With her Catholic stare, she petrifies,
makes me feel like a lonesome-oxidized penny
at the bottom of a Sunday-mass collection basket.
Mother and the Indian head make me
repent for not understanding their entrapment.
With a depleted inner force, she manages to muster
an answer and with a lacerating tongue, “¡Frida! Pero yo no.”
Eighty years later after the US legalizes
marijuana, her curandera cabinets won’t give
into this green hierbita, unless soaked en alcolito.
Living at home and watching mamá give,
I never realized that giving—a whirlwind, an
aura of human intra-change—spoke without words,
filling the human soul. When I was too busy to buy
gifts, mother would force me to write my
name on gift-wrapped boxes.
Years later, on a plane in a soft blue sky, sitting next to
a woman wrapped in white skin from the island
of Puerto Rico, I finally understood the art of Indian giving.
The woman explained that I was trigueña—brown skinned,
como el trigo. In that flight away from self-centeredness,
she shared the spirit and plight of Puerto Rico.
“Tell me one book that represents your people,” I said.
This woman answered, “La charca.” As she broke bread
before me, I bowed and shut my eyes in acceptance.
Searching in my bag for a memento,
I found a black and white photograph and placed it in her hands
with no regrets and a swooning sensation
I couldn’t explain filled me.
The gifts that I had wished would
stop finding me—for fear of reciprocity—
were given to me by Indian givers—people who
looked like my spirit grandmother, indigenous people
whose presence stretched in all directions, sharing
and praying to the winds, the same sun and moon—people who
gave without a signed written copy, without a witness
to validate the gift.
I understood the derogatory slur Indian giver
appended with a chuckle. Present-giving
is so difficult to understand without the
money swap. A poet gives you obsidian glass to
see yourself reflected, and an artist—painted
memories. An Indian giver gives you love
without words—so difficult to understand and easy
to be the mock-a-sinner.
www.eltecolote.org
fATHERS RANCH
by Scott Hernández
When I left
The animals gone,
home at 16,
I left for good,
refusing to work
his desolate farm.
full of oily chicken feathers,
not even blood
would soak in.
the grey barn
the dirt so dry
and hard
THE VOICE Of THE OLd
SOUTH
by Naomi Helena Quiñonez
The voice of the old South
bellows in the new wind
the ghosts of slave owners
commandeer media
monitor the masses
for hate.
The Klu Klux Klan
casts off its sheets
and storms the
streets Of Washington
A body of white
and bellicose
in sweat pants
and tennis shoes
parades its scorn
spits in the face
of reason
and marches to the
legacy of the hate
that seeded
this nation’s
power.
Centuries
of Jim Crow
native genocides
continuous
dispossession of
Mexicans
and anti-immigrant
sediment,
Decades
of indentured
servitudes
have carved
harsh hearts
Hardened the thin
interiors of souls
craving the violent
controls of the past.
What are you
but a lynch mob
in patriot’s clothing?
set out to hang
the future by its neck
longing to leer
with sweaty eyes
at a social body
swinging from
a noose.
March on
dwindling cadavers
Your threats
to exterminate
are pointless stagings
of your fear
Of new winds blowing
louder and stronger
with the voices
of ALL people
whose blood
has nourished
this land.
1984: MAMA NIEVES
wILdERNESS Of HOPE
Casa, cuerpo,
cuerpo, casa
Se ruinan a la vez
cuando viene la venganza
Wilderness without trees
secrets and dreams
roam Guadalupe’s caverns
with bones of birds and men
where conversations obey prevailing winds
brittle words and looks tumble in warning
down Main Street legends
the Chamber of Commerce’s Last Stand
against those who surrendered
to dust and empty shells,
barren reefs lining shores of highways.
by Paul S. Flores
Todo lo que construyo
lo destroza la guerra.
Los cuilios quieren sacar al pez del agua
con bombardeo al pueblo todas las mañanas.
El año pasado me mataron el hijo mayor
cuando él se fue a buscar huevo y frijol
después de tres dias atrapados en la casa.
.
Me quedan tres mas varoncitos.
Tengo uno que trabaja haciendo muebles.
Se llama Nelson, por su papá.
Otro que antes estaba en la escuela.
Se llama Douglas—ahora no sé donde está.
El mas chiquito es Fausto.
Es un niño adorable y muy amoroso.
No le gusta andar con los bichos
ni hacer travesura por la calle.
Prefiere estar conmigo en vez de irse a sus clases.
Me ayuda hacer las empanadas todo los días.
Ayer fue a trabajar en la milpa por la madrugada
y él se me desapareció también.
La primera vez que vinieron los soldados
se lo llevaron a mi esposo
Lo amarraron, y tres días después
le dejaron en la puerta como niño envuelto
con las pulgares quebrados.
Despúes de eso ya no me respondió.
Yo me puse enfrente de este horno
haciendo las empanadas.
Mientras el hombre mío
se quedaba callado…
sin mover, sin trabajar
Después de eso se nos fue el maje.
Casa, cuerpo,
cuerpo, casa
Se ruinan a la vez
cuando viene la venganza
Todo lo que construyo
lo destroza la guerra.
www.eltecolote.org
by Yasmeen Najmi
Pecos, TX: Gateway to Nada
A café’s pizzo of patriotism
framed on wood-paneled walls
and you realize that West Texas
has always been a police state
Pecos Bill and his rifle-bearing posse
collage of military, police and Migra
their banderas
their confession of the sin
of being Mexican
to painted Jesus at his Last Supper
the only one they can really count on
when the chips are down
jobs are few
they don’t replace the bullet-ridden windows
The Law hasn’t changed
only the outlaws
no longer white textbook deities
their stories abducted
driven into searing light
bleached, bloodlet
the unstrung corridos
salvaged by vultures and javelinas
at campfires of the disappeared.
Oil wells peck like desert gulls
to hot, slow rhythms
yo-yo in and out of creosote
dark men
spray chemicals without masks
in screaming winds
their sky-stung, naked hands rake leaves
from Lady Bird’s primary colors
bonnet blues, a ranchera to stay warm
but above the rust ghosts of petrol
frozen in mid-sentence
on the chalky, pine-freckled mesa
the shifting winds silently turn
the giant white fans of hope.
qUé PINCHE
by Alma Luz Villanueva
From San Miguel to
L.A., customs waiting
for baggage, on
the Mexican plane
LA NIñA LINA EN EAST L.A.
by Dorinda Moreno
I had my customary
shot of free tequila,
yes they serve you free
breakfast, juice, cerveza,
y tequila, the stewardess
always laughs as she
pours me a shot at
7am, only a few men
join me as we reach
the clouds, sun
rising, the burning comfort
of tequila with breakfast
tamale, juice, cafeso I’m feeling relaxed
till I read the sign in
customs: $500,000 fine
(approx) for smuggling fruit,
food, (whatever) across the
border—and I remember
my Mexican banana in
my purse, I forgot to eat
my Mexican banana, so I
quickly pull it out, begin
stuffing it in my mouth‘THERE IS NO EATING
OF FOOD IN THIS AREA,
PUT THE BANANA
DOWN!” Jehovah booms
over the loud speaker, It’s
a Mexican banana, mister,
so I stuff my entire
Mexican banana in my
laughing mouth, others
beginning to giggle with
me- he rushes out, fat
and red-faced, “I could
fine you for that,
lady!” he whines
without the loud
speaker, “I told you
LIfE AROUNd THE TORTILLA CURTAIN
by Juan Manuel Perez
Does Mexican cheese
come from Mexican cows?
Do they wade into the Rio Grande
and if so, are they illegal too?
They say they want to put up a fence
all along the Rio Grande
That’s great vato!
It will help the cows stay in one place
To help separate the brown cows
from the white cows
it will help in the mix up
of Mexican cheese and American cheese
just like in the supermercado
keep you from messing up your enchiladas
By the way, that will also help separate
regular white milk from chocolate milk
I love chocolate milk
but I can only have so much
it’s too rich you know
so I have to regularly drink
regular white milk
It goes with everything I guess
to put that banana
down!” “The Mexican
banana is now in neutral
territory, my stomach,”
That’s great that they want to put up a fence
to.. cómo se dice? A si
accentuate the difference between
Mexican cheese and American cheese
chocolate milk and regular white milk
I stare him down, fighting
not to laugh, giggles spring
up around me, and as he
stomps back to his god
The North American continent
what a great place for diarrhea
…I mean dairy products
sorry, mi inglés not so good
cage, the guy next to
me says, “Qué pinche,”
which says it all, and I
want my 2nd shot of
d’LAwd’S MUddAfUkN’ PRAYER
tequila. Do they own all
the bananas on this Earth,
especially the Mexican
bananas I see in the
supermarkets USA,
do they own my eyes,
my hands, my feet, my
laughing mouth, and do
they even own my stomach,
my heart, the sweet womb that
my Yaqui Mexican grandmother
gave me, the fertile
womb that she gave
me, the defiant womb
that she gave me- all I
can say is,
after my 2nd
shot of
tequila,
“Qué pinche.”
Lina Chiquita y risueña,
amidst the grass of green and the East L.A. sun;
‘ carnalismo ‘ vibrating through-out the crowd.
Raza sí ! Guerra No! The time had come for us all.
Exalted spirits in bodies of brown,
passionate people proclaiming their humanity.
viva La Raza! Viva La Causa! Viva La Liberación!
The Pinto’s peoples Proposition ‘ marches RIGHT ON!
Brown is Love ! Brown is Together ! Get it on Penalver !
A Beautiful expresion of unity.
And then , the police were there !
And in the fleeing mass of confusion Lina got lost !
Papa ! Papa !
Run ! Hide ! “ Get away from the teargas “ !
Burning eyes. Bewildered cries.
I found you and held you tenderly against my bosom,
while the riot squad ripped in the crowd.
And in your innocence yu clung to me for security.
You would not cry, and you would not let go.
I learned to love you in the long moments of chaos.
And i cried out, “ Why teargas ? “
People are love ! Lina is love !
“ Why ? “ Teargas. Our men have been DYING !
DYING for What ? - in Viet-nam !
Dying for lina, Chiquita y risuena. Lina is LOVE.
Lina on radio, Lina on television. KMEX.
REPORTED LOST CHID.
Age three, brown bundle of love, answer to lina.
3:00 o’clock- 4:00 o’clock
Lina snuggles, Lina cuddles, Lina doesn’t want you to leave her.
Lina sleeps while people riot in the streets.
Smashed windows with flames, of burning police cars, transporters of pigs.
Raza sí ! Guerra no ! More tears for Ruben Salazar...........
7:00 o’clock - 8:00 o’clock
Lina eats a hotdog - drinks a coke - in Amerika !
Land of Kentucky fried chciken and disaster.
Can’t call police- they ‘re Parker’s Pigs.
10:00 o’clock - 11:00 o’clock
Doesn’t anyone hear our call ?
I won’t take Lina to cold grey quarters.
Lina is love, Lina is brown, Lina xhuiquita y risuena.
RING RING RING
Brown man of concern calls.
Brown man burdened with worry comes to get Lina.
Take my love with you and leave me her memory to treasure.
Lina chiquita y risuena. Lina is love.
And the realization burns in my soul:
Lina was teargassed - because Lina is brown.
by Alfonso Texidor
This is a poem called
d’Lawd’s Muddafuckn’ Prayer,
and it’s dedicated to
d’Rev Muddafuckn’ Wright.
-- You know why.
Let us pray, oh Lawd,
let us pray.
Let us pray, goddamit,
let us pray.
Hey, daddy’o, dat’s liviing it up
in fuckn’ heaven wid all dat art,
‘n crap’n bullshit from fuck’n Wallmarts,
n’Nordstroms, n’Macys, n’even
from muddafuckn’ Bloomingdales.
Hollow is thy ‘name
n’thy will shall becum undone
right here on earth,
cause this ain’t no heaven,
unless things fuck’n change
right muddafuck’n now!
-- Oh, fuckn’ yeah?!
-- Oh, muddafuck’n yeah!
So, hey daddy’o,
don’t gimme’dat broda-broda,
n’ oh, please fuck’n feed us,
at least once a day,
n’ help up us not to backslide,
nor to mess aroun’ down
by dat slippery slope of temptation,
no muddafuck’n mo’, or at least
not to often from 9 to 5, if you’re a
woika;
or at fuck’n midterm or final exam
weeks,
if you’re in college.
Cause thy has da power
in da fuck’n kingdom,
n’all dat muddafuck’n glory-Oh, mang!
www.eltecolote.org
ICONS & IDOLS
I
C
O
N
S
&
THE BOLERO Of LUPE VéLEz
by Alejandro Murguía
for Lupita
The movieland glamour magazines thrived on Lupe Vélez. They thirsted
for this Mexican beauty. They just drank her up. Her face graced the cover of Film
Weekly, Motion Picture, Cinelandia, and True Confessions, over and over, as if
they couldn’t help themselves. Couldn’t keep their cameras away from her obsidian
black hair, her flashing eyes, the cupcake mouth so, so perfect. And all those
society parties, husbands, lovers, and gossip. As if Hollywood couldn’t help talking
about her. Just couldn’t help it. Talking. About. Lupe. Vélez.
She was a foundling, discovered at the front door of a convent, wrapped
in a red rebozo. She was born without a navel. She had an extra toe amputated.
Her story is so old it’s in the Bible. Her life would make a great Hollywood
movie—My pinchi, pinchi vida. She’s so hard she doesn’t cry at funerals. She’s so
soft novellas make her weep, big sloppy tears. She’s the most expensive Mexican
that’s ever worked in Hollywood. They call her la más chíngona. La Mera Mera.
She can name her own price. Le gusta lo pegado al hueso. She’s had her heart
broken a hundred times. She has no heart to break. No one knows her real name.
Everyone calls her Lupita. Lupe Vélez. Rumors follow her like hungry dogs. They
say things about her.
She used to work in pornographic movies. She has one breast bigger
than the other. She has a womb the size of a tunnel. She has a womb the size of a
quarter. She smokes cigars, and on the first Monday of the month, dresses like a
man, in a suit and tie, and snap-brim hat. She once killed a lover over jealousy, and
that’s why she came to Hollywood to forget her one true love. She has a tattoo on
her backside, un nopalito on her culito. She’s a walking contradiction, a hustler
without regrets, and temptation enough for an army. She sings opera, she sings
blues, she sings the soul right out of you.
The women of Hollywood hate her, call her junkie, whore, slut, puta.
They say she wears falsies, they say she spreads diseases, they say she’s dying of
syphilis, of gono, of drugs. They say she is too homely, too skinny, too flat-chested.
Bowlegged. Too, too, daahrk daaahling. They laugh at her Mexican accent. They
say she is crazy. Don’t mess with her, they whisper, that Mexican spitfire is liable of
anything. A-ny-thing. And Lupita lets them talk, lets the chismes spread. It’s good
for my career, she says to her agent-doctor-dealer, as he offers a silk handkerchief
filled with the rainbows of nepenthe.
Ay Lupita, Lupe Vélez, alone, curled up on her brass bed, eyes halfclosed, nodding, is very, very human. If she cuts, she bleeds; if she’s hurt, she
cries; if she’s happy, she smiles. And she’s very happy right now with a dozen pills
speeding to her heart that melts like a school girl in love. The chismes don’t matter.
Maria Guadalupe Vélez doesn’t feel a thing.
Let them talk. Que digan eso de mi.
fINAL dREAM
by Margarita Robles
in memory, Luis Leal
In that last dream you stand on the shore
that ocean with the sounds of waves
splashing, singing with seagulls
shells and driftwood at your feet
marking time
like the memory of a long life
spinning circles in this final dream
bits and pieces, grains of sand
in a long life, a good life
filled with love and the pain of loss
but mostly good
in the breathing of the dream
you can almost smell the ocean
you walk toward it, it is almost sunrise
across the breathing of the ocean
like these final breaths, a deep sigh
reaching out to all the precious moments
of a life well spent
you breathe in the ocean mist
exhale the last moment here
and in your dream you keep walking
across the ocean, your love,
reaching for the light
SOLEdAd VI
IN 1972
by Roberto Vargas
for Poet Raul Salinas
I
D
O
L
S
Antonia Castaneda became spiritual madrina
to Raul Salinas and myself/ our comadre Tonya set the forum/
assisted then shed light on our verbal symbiosis
Tonya organized floricantologias
Of NeoChilam Balam recitals in Seattle University
of Salinas and Vargas / Mechicano and Mayan word warriors/
Raul and I lit the fire of purification
in the of that Seattle universal city
each blazing our personal trails towards global liberation
the globalization of love joy and sustainable justice
Counting lyrical cadence between cuero y humo / cantamos / y contamos
Raul Salinas dibujando un son to freedom!! to Elegua
His words endosonic ladders to elevate our thoughts
beyond The guard towers of this empire/
Tapon describes dissects and dispels “Soledad”
the dis-United State of imprisonment
With His fugitive tongue fine chiseling forms of survival /
each syllable illuminating through the stone walls of State security insanity /
Raul tripping thru mind jails
His poesia strapped firmly under his alas / For the long hard flight
circling in and out of Aztlan / Un joven Quezalcoatl doing time in imposed spaces
Learning lessons sharing lessons about time past / time lost / hard times /
preparing for new times/perennial struggles / juntos recitamos invocamos El Quetzal
rising from the ashes / Defining the duality of indo-imigrantes
in English spiced with Spanish / my 2 colonized languages weaved to fit
my personal pain to collective action / that depict the solitude of my trips
thru China, Mexico, Viet Nam Nicaragua nuestra IndiaAmerica/
tambores melding the ferocity of hunger and resistance /
of peace to poetic justice / Raul spinning secrets of pinto shamans inhaling themselves into another recess of their institutional
purgatory/Their inner thoughts / memory of life beyond walls / Nirvana / Replete with eternal / external clanging of iron gates
Of coveted keys / Of another kind of solitude / La Soledad of the bars and stripes
Of Pancho Aguila’s palabrazos / Peltier / Mumia / The Cubano 5
Where Raul traversed deep into himself / exposed the steel bar-fangs
of maximum security / racism / confining his need to love / humanity / women/himself / discovered his plumage
Axtlan / Copan / Nezahualcoytl / el Sexto Sol / survival
Discovered HIS Soledad In maximum FREEDOM!!
JUNTOS In our common struggle for FREEDOM
Y EL TIEMPO SIEMPRE… SERA YA CARNAL!!
www.eltecolote.org
Pasado, Presente y Futuro
Imagining the Mission:
A photographic exhibition in celebration of the
40th anniversary of El Tecolote newspaper.
Done in collaboration with the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts.
Opening Reception ~ Wed. August 11, 2010 • 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. • $5.00
Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts
2868 Mission Street, San Francisco
Exhibition runs from August 7 through August 29.
Pasado
Featuring the work of past El Tecolote photographers and photo editors
Jeff Blankfort • Wifredo Castaño • Lou Dematteis •
Francisco Arroyo Garcia • Michelle Gutierrez • Adam Kufeld •
Amanda Lopez • Jorge Lopez • Rick Rocamora • Linda Wilson
FLORICANTO EN LA MISIÓN
si
ón
Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of EL TECOLOTE
Sunday August 29, 2010
7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts
2868 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA
$5 donation
i
m
a
On August 2010, EL TECOLOTE celebrates 40 years of existence
serving the Latino community of San Francisco and beyond. As part
of this celebration this special 20-page edition of REVISTA LITERARIO DE EL TECOLOTE was released on July 28, 2010.
n
e
l
A bilingual hard-copy poetry anthology featuring the works of established poets as well as those of emerging new voices is in process at
the moment.
cant
i
r
o
o
l
f
The August 29th collective reading of 37 poets is a
fundraising benefit for the anthology and for
EL TECOLOTE.
Presente
A slideshow presentation of the Mission and beyond as
captured by current El Tecolote photograhers.
Futuro
Photographic work of youth from June Jordan School for
Equity and the Beyond Borders program.
Music by Francisco Herrera Brambila
MCs: Francisco X. Alarcón & Nina Serrano
List of poets by alphabetical order: Francisco X. Alarcón •
Jorge Tetl Argueta • Cathy Arellano • Adrián Arias • Avotcja
• Devreaux Baker • Charles Blackwell • Lorna Dee Cervantes • Estela de la Cruz • Patricia Fernández Villaseñor •
Xico González • Melanie González • Rafael Jesús González •
Q.R. Hand Jr. • Leticia Hernández-Linares • Beatriz Herrera •
Jack Hirschman, former San Francisco Poet Laureate • Genny
Lim • Mamacoatl • Devorah Major, former San Francisco Poet
Laureate • Jacqueline Méndez • Dorinda Moreno • Alejandro
Murguía • Joe Navarro • Gerardo Pacheco Matus • Naomi
Quiñonez • Nina Serrano • Mamacoatl • reina alejandra prado
• Tomás Riley • Miguel Robles • Mary Rudge, Alameda Poet Laureate • Alfonso Texidor • Roberto Vargas • Roberto Ariel Vargas
• Vickie Vértiz • Nellie Wong
Donations towards the anthology or to El Tecolote can be made
online at www.eltecolote.org or by check payable to Acción Latina
and mailed to 2958 24th Street, San Francisco, CA 94110.
For more information contact El Tecolote at (415) 648-1045
www.eltecolote.org
Also at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts
A Benefit for Zanmi Lakay
Wed. August 18 • 7:00 - 9:30 p.m.
Music • Dance
Haitian art sale
Zanmi Lakay is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the
quality of life for current and former street children in Haiti by providing educational and economic opportunities and resources to help
these children while they are on the streets and to help build a life for
them off the streets.
www.zanmilakay.org
El Tecolote is a project of Acción Latina • www.eltecolote.org
2958 24th Street, San Francisco, Calif. 94110 • 415.648.1045
poet bios
poet bios
Francisco X. Alarcón is a Chicano poet
and educator, author of twelve volumes of
poetry, including From the Other Side of
Night: Selected and New Poems (University of
Arizona Press 2002). His most recent book
of bilingual poems is Ce•Uno•One: Poemas
para el Nuevo Sol/Poems for the New Sun
(Swan Scythe Press 2010). He teaches at the
University of California, Davis.
Christopher Carmona hails from the
Rio Grande Valley in Deep South Texas.
He is a beat poet in the tradition of beat
poets like Bob Kaufman and Raul Salinas.
He is pursuing a doctorate at Texas A&M
University. He is working on his first book
of poetry titled beat and an anthology of
Beat Texas writings for UT Press with Chuck
Taylor and Rob Johnson.
Itzie Alexandra Alarcón is 17 years old and
a recent graduate of La Mirada High School
in La Mirada, Calif. In the Fall, she will be
attending California State Channel Islands
and will be an English major. “I originally
wrote this poem for a class assignment. The
assignment was to write “Where I’m from”
based on the original poem by George Ella
Lyon.”
Lorna Dee Cervantes is Mexican-American
poet whose works have achieved national
recognition. Her first book, Emplumada
(1981), was a recipient of the American
Book Award. Her second collection, From
the Cables of Genocide: Poems on Love and
Hunger (1991), has received many literary
awards. She lives in the Mission District of
San Francisco.
Juliana Aragón Fatula, a Southern Colorado
native, performed Chicano Theatre with
Denver’s Su Teatro, and earned a bachelor’s
degree in Creative Writing from Colorado
State University-Pueblo. She won the
Southern Colorado Women’s Poetry Contest
for three consecutive years, and co-wrote a
screenplay selected for the Global Arts Film
Festival. She describes writing as her sweet
medicine.
Jorge Argueta has written several children’s
books, among them is the Americas Award
winner, A Movie in my Pillow. His other
works include Talking with Mother Earth,
Alfredito Flies Home, and Luna Lunita
Lunera. Presently, he is working on a series
“Poemas para cocinar/Cooking Poems.”
Cathy Arellano has written a collection
of stories about San Francisco’s Mission
district called Flats and Bars, and is editing
Homegrown: A Cultural Microhistory of
Latinos in the Mission.
Adrián Arias, poeta y artista visual
peruano residente en California desde
el 2000, ha publicado ocho libros y
obtenido importantes premios literarios en
Latinoamerica y Europa. He works at the
Mission Cultural Center in San Francisco.
Avotcja is a musician, playwright, teacher,
poet and short story writer. She is also proud
member and director of AVOTCJA &
MODÚPUE, a musical group inducted into
the Bay Area Blues Society’s Hall Of Fame,
and named “JAZZ BAND OF THE YEAR”
for 2005 and 2010. Avotcja has been a Bay
Area DJ at KPOO-FM and KPFA-FM for
more that 37 years. For more information,
visit www.Avotcja.com.
Devreaux Baker has published two books
of poetry, Light at the Edge and Beyond the
Circumstance of Sight. Red Willow People
Poetry is forthcoming in August of 2010. She
produced The Voyagers Radio Program of
Student Writing for Public Radio, funded by
the California Arts Council. She currently
directs the Mendocino Coast Writers Series.
Charles Blackwell is originally from San
Francisco, and has lived in Sacramento
and Washington, D.C., where he received
an award for overcoming a disability and
working as a community organizer in the
cultural arts. He was also honored by the
Mayor’s Commission for the Disabled in
Oakland. His books include Is, The Color of
Mississippi Mud.
Estela de la Cruz is a Chicana who dropped
out of high school at the age of sixteen. At
age thirty, she began exploring the possibility
of becoming a poet. Emily Dickinson was
initially her model. Rock ‘n’ roll was also a
major influence. She incorporates her dark
sense of humor in her writing. In 1989
she obtained a bachelor’s degree from the
University of California, Berkeley.
Patricia Fernández Villaseñor nació en la
Ciudad de México. Periodista egresada de
la UNAM, radica en San Francisco desde
1997. Ha participado en varios grupos de
teatro desde 1999 a la fecha. Como poeta
publicó una autoedición titulada Cascadas
sobre el Crista al lado de otros tres poetas
latinoamericanos.
Paul Flores is a published poet, playwright,
professor and co-founder of Youth Speaks.
He has performed as part of HBO’s Russell
Simmons Presents Def Poetry and in
Cuba, Mexico and El Salvador. His play
REPRESENTA! was presented at the HipHop Theater Festival in 2007 and his newest
play, Wounds of the Izote. will premier in
2011.
Xico González is an educator, artist, poet,
and a political and cultural activista based
in Sacramento, Calif. González currently
teaches Chicana & Chicano Studies at the
University of California, Davis.
Melanie Gonzalez earned her bachelor’s
degree in Latin American Literature from
San Francisco State University and also
volunteered for El Tecolote. Her writing has
appeared in Cipactli, Literary Angles, Latinos
in Lotusland; as well as Pieces of Me and
Nothing Held Back, published by Writegirl, a
writing mentorship program she participated
in while in high school.
Rafael Jesús González is a professor
emeritus of Creative Writing & Literature at
Laney College in Oakland, where he founded
the Mexican & Latin American Studies
Department. He is the author La musa
lunática/The Lunatic Muse (Pandemonium
Press). His work has been published in the
U.S. and Latin America and has thrice been
nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
Sonia Gutierrez’s work—fiction, poetry
(and photography)—has appeared in Mujeres
de Maíz (2009 & 2010), Lavandería: A
Mixed Load of Women, Wash and Word,
Fringe Magazine among others, and
forthcoming in Turtle Island to Abya Yala: A
Love Anthology of Art and Poetry by Native
American and Latina Women.
Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs es una poeta
chicana multilingüe. She has been writing
since childhood and has given readings
throughout the U.S., Latin America, France,
and Spain for the last 25 years. She loves
being una mujer aztlanense.
Q.R Hand Jr was counselor in the San
Francisco community health system. He’s
now retired in Vallejo. His poems have
been published in Clay Drum, Black Scholar
and The Bay View. Author of I Speak to
the Poet in Man and How Sweet It Is, Q.R.
recently co-edited We Come to Play‑writings
on basketball. He is also a member of the
Wordwind chorus.
Scott Hernández was raised on a small
chicken ranch in Southern California. A
recent graduate of University of California,
Riverside’s creative writing program, where
he is looking forward to completing his
MFA, as well as finishing his first chapbook
Placasos y Retablos. His works have appeared
in The Red Wheel Barrow, Acentos, Cipactli,
and the California Poetry collection.
Leticia Hernandez-Linares—the daughter
of a Salvadoran family— was born in Los
Angeles and now lives and writes in San
Francisco. Her writing has appeared in
Latino Literature Today and Telling Tongues.
In 2002, Calaca Press published her poetry
chapbook, Razor Edges of My Tongue. She is
currently the Executive Director GirlSource
in San Francisco.
Beatriz Herrera is a community organizer
working at POWER (People Organized to
Win Employment Rights) in San Francisco,
Calif. For fun, Beatriz loves to read, write,
dance, ride her bike and fight for social
change. When in doubt just remember—¡Sí
se puede!
Juan Felipe Herrera is a long-time resident
of La Mission (since 1950) and has worked
on various cultural arts projects in the
Bay Area. Herrera is a winner of the 2009
National Book Critics Circle Award and the
2010 Guggenheim Fellowship. He teaches in
the Department of Creative Writing at the
University of California, Riverside.
Jack Hirschman is a former San Francisco
Poet Laureate. His latest book is Magma,
selected poems of Alfonso Gatto, translations
from Italian and published by Casa de Poesie
of Los Angeles. Red Poet, a documentary
based on his life has just been released.
Sabine Huynh is a poet, novelist and literary
translator. Her poems and short stories have
appeared in literary journals, including The
Dudley Review, Poetica Magazine, Cyclamens
and Swords, arc, Voices, Art Le Sabord, The
Jerusalem Post, Zinc, Virages, and Continuum.
Her first novel is due out in France from
Galaade Editions.
ire’ne lara silva lives in Austin , Texas. Her
poetry and short fiction has most recently
appeared in Acentos Review, Kweli Journal,
and Finding Gloria: Nos/Otras. Her first
collection of poetry, Furia, will be published
in October by Mouthfeel Press. She can be
reached at [email protected]
www.eltecolote.org
Genny Lim has performed at jazz festivals
from San Francisco to San Diego, from
Houston to Chicago, and at World Poetry
Festivals in Venezuela, Bosnia-Hercegovina,
and Italy. Her play Paper Angels, was
performed in New York City in 2009, and
her performance piece, Where is Tibet?,
premiered at CounterPulse in San Francisco.
Manuel Lozano, self-taught writer and
artist, lives in El Paso, “El Chuco,” Texas,
cradle of the pachuco. Manuel writes
traditional verse “to the rhythm of the
Matachines.” His work has appeared in
Xican@ Poetry Daily and La Bloga. Visit his
blog, Manuel Lozano: Xicano Writing, at
www.manuellozano7.blogspot.com for more
information.
Tomás Huitzilcohuátl Lucero was born in
Mexico City and raised in Encinitas, Calif.
He has an bachelor’s degree in English from
the University of California, San Diego.
In 2009, New Directions published his
first book, a Spanish translation of Jimmy
Santiago Baca’s collected poems titled Selected
Poems: Jimmy Santiago Baca.
devorah major is a former San Francisco
Poet Laureate. In 2009 she completed a
historical novella and is presently looking
for a publisher. In 2009 she published two
new chapbooks, Black Bleeds into Green and
Amour Verdinia/Verdinia Amour, as well as
a flip book with Opal Palmer Adisa. She is
currently an adjunct professor at California
College for the Arts.
MamaCoAtl, the Incarnation of
PachaMama, Mujer Gavilán, serpiente,
venada en fuga, ajustadora de cuentas,
mujer que todo lo ensucia y todo lo limpia,
has a MFA in Women Spirituality and
Performance Activism from the legendary
New College of San Francisco. She is also
a Yaqui Healer, poet, songstress, and artivist.
She lives and thrives in the Mission District.
Jacqueline Mendez is a local poet whose
inspiration comes from her family and
immigrant experience. Born in El Salvador,
she was raised in San Francisco’s Excelsior
District. She has a bachelor’s degree in Raza
Studies and Latin American Studies from
San Francisco State University, where she is
currently a graduate student. Her writings
have been published in Cipactli.
Octaviano Merecias-Cuevas is a trilingual
Mixteco poet, socio-linguist, filmmaker
and community educator. He leads the
movement of Poesía Mixta, in which
indigenous languages are mixed with
Spanish, English, and Portuguese. Currently
he lives in Oregon where he serves as a
faculty member for Oregon State University
Extension Services for youth at risk.
Dorinda Moreno is a natural organizer and
leader endowed with boundless energy and
caring for people; she is also a poet, writer,
and editor. She is the author of La mujer:
En pie de lucha, y la hora es ya. She founded
or directed cultural groups such as Concilio
Mujeres and Fuerza Mundial, an internet
vehicle for connecting international popular
movements.
poet bios
Alejandro Murguía is a two-time winner of
the American Book Award, most recently for
This War Called Love: Nine Stories (City Lights
Books). His past books include, The Medicine of
Memory: A Mexica Clan in California, Southern
Front, and Volcán: Poetry from Central America.
He was co-founder and first director of the
Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts.
Yasmeen Najmi is new to the Albuquerque,
New Mexico poetry scene. She was recently
a featured poet at the bi-annual Poetry In
Place event in Albuquerque. In 2004, she selfpublished a poetry chapbook titled Ankh, the
Hindi word for “Eye.” Her poetry reflects her
deep connection to the ecology and cultures of
the Rio Grande.
Joe Navarro is a Literary Vato Loco, teacher,
creative writer, community activist and author
of seven chapbooks of poetry. Joe integrates his
poetic voice with life’s experiences, creating an
integration of culture and politics. He currently
lives in Hollister, Calif., with his family.
Gerardo Pacheco Matus was born in Huhi,
Yucatan, Mexico. He is Mayan and migrated
to the U.S at the age of fifteen. His writing is
influenced by his Mayan and Mexican heritage
and deals with immigration and its social and
cultural hardships. He uses magic and history
to bridge two worlds together. Pacheco’s poetry
has been published in Cipactli Magazine and
Transfer Magazine.
Melinda Palacio is a 2007 PEN EV Fellow
and a 2009 poetry alum of the Squaw Valley
Community of Writers. Her first novel, Ocotillo
Dreams, will be published by Arizona State
University’s Bilingual Press in Fall 2010. Her
poetry chapbook, Folsom Lockdown, won
Kulupi Press’s 2009 Sense of Place chapbook
contest.
Juan Manuel Pérez, a high school history
teacher by day, a dangerous brown poet by
night, is the author of Another Menudo Sunday
(2007) and the e-book O Dark Heaven (2009),
in addition to six poetry chapbooks. He works
and writes in his little hometown of La Pryor,
Texas.
original, from page 2
Ramírez; and Latin American literary stars like
Ernesto Cardenal, Julio Cortázar, Fernando
Alegría, Manlio Argueta, Elías Nandino, among
others.
Visual artists also played a major role in La
Revista Literaria de El Tecolote, contributing
without hesitation original visual artwork
that went beyond mere illustrations and had
such outstanding artistic quality making each
issue a much valued community showcase of
great art. Among the contributing artists are
some of the most outstanding Chicano/Latino
artists of the past 30 years: Rupert García, José
Montoya, Juan Fuentes, Malaquías Montoya,
Graciela Carrillo, Yolanda López, Juan Alicia,
Emmanuel Montoya, Peter Rodríguez, René
Yañez, Guillermo Arana, Sal García, among
others.
This Special literary Issue of El Tecolote: A
Poetic Celebration of the Past and Present
This special literary issue of El Tecolote was
put together by staff and volunteers following
the same spirit of openness, inclusivity, and
community service that distinguishes El Tecolote
since its inception. The editors decided to
celebrate the 40th Anniversary of El Tecolote
with the publication of a special 20-page
literary edition showcasing the great diversity
and current concerns of both established poets
and emerging new voices.
Timothy M. Pérez currently teaches Language
Arts and Creative Writing at Santiago High
School in Corona, Calif. He earned an
MFA in creative writing from California
State University, Long Beach. His chapbook
Crooked was published by Gary Soto’s Chicano
Chapbook Series. Recently, his poems have
been published in Xican@ Poetry Daily and in
an upcoming issue of The Acentos Review.
reina alejandra prado is a graduate of San
Francisco State University’s humanities
undergraduate program and has continued her
interdisciplinary endeavors as an educator, artist
and art critic. Prado has performed throughout
the world in countries such as Cuba, Mexico
and Scotland. You can read her poetry or
contact her for bookings through her website,
www.santaperversa.com
Naomi H. Quiñonez, poet and educator,
has written three collections of poetry titled
Hummingbird Dream: Sueño de Colibrí; The
Smoking Mirror and The Exiled Moon. She
co-edited Invocation L.A: Urban Multicultural
Poetry, which won the American Book Award,
and edited Decolonial Voices: Chicana and
Chicano Cultural Studies in the 21st Century. Tomás Riley is a poet, writer, educator and a
veteran of the Chicano spoken word collective
The Taco Shop Poets. A finalist for the
California Voices Award from Poets & Writers,
his first book Mahcic debuted on Calaca Press
in December 2005. Currently he lives and
writes in the Mission District of San Francisco.
Brenda Nettles Riojas grew up on the border
of South Texas and Mexico. Her first collection
of poems—La Primera Voz Que Oí—was
published in Guadalajara, Mexico. She host
a weekly radio program, Corazón Bilingüe,
on a local PBS affiliate and online at www.
corazonbilingue.com. She is also working
on her MFA through the University of New
Orleans.
Miguel Robles was born and raised in Mexico
City. He studied art history, silversmithing and
creative writing in Morelia, Michoacán. He
has worked as bookseller, factory worker on
The poems of the 55 poets included here reflect
a wide range of themes: reflections on poetry
writing itself; explorations regarding national
origins, group and self-identity; celebrations of
el barrio de La Misión; the current immigration
debate and protest (especially the xenophobic
Arizona SB 1070); and the universal themes
of love, familia, and tributes to cultural heroes
and icons. We have included artwork from the
original La Revista Literaria de El Tecolote as
well as new artwork by distinguished artists.
We are currently working on editing a book,
a bilingual poetry anthology with the title
Palabras en Vuelo / Words in Flight: A Poetry
Anthology in Celebration of El Tecolote that will
feature works by the 55 poets included on this
issue and other poets as well.
To celebrate El Tecolote’s 40th year, we are
holding “Floricanto en La Misión,” a collective
poetry reading by 40 invited poets that will
take place in collaboration with the Mission
Cultural Center for Latino Arts on August 29,
2010. Please see ad on the back page. This is a
fundraising event for this special literary issue
and the hard-copy poetry anthology.
The poem below written specifically for this
issue by Juan Felipe Herrera, winner of the
prestigious 2009 National Book Critics Circle
Award, speaks for all of us in congratulating
El Tecolote for its first 40 years. May this wise
bird continue spreading its wings and fly over
our community for a long time!
the Mexican/U.S. border, and bus dispatcher.
Artisan, poet, and activist, he has lived in San
Francisco since 2002 and is the author of the
bilingual poetry book At 24th and Mission.
Margarita Robles, an El Paso, Texas and Bay
Area poet, as well as a performance artist and
performance in poetry teacher. She spends her
time in Redlands and Fresno, Calif.
John Ross was born in the Greenwich Village
neighborhood of Manhattan. He has written
eight books of fiction and non-fiction,
including Murdered By Capitalism (Nation
Books 2004). With ten chapbooks of poetry
under his belt—the latest being Bomba! from
Calaca de Pelón Press—he continues to be an
active performer and spoken-word artist.
Mary Rudge was honored as an International
Poet Laureate at San Francisco’s City Hall. She
became Alameda City’s First Poet Laureate in
2002. Known on five continents for her books,
which include Austria, Hungary and Other
Passions; Sri Lanka Firewalk Tour, Oakland is a
Holy City; Poems From Street Spirit: Justice News
and Homeless Blues and more.
Ernesto Acosta Sandoval was born in
Aguascalientes, Mexico in 1984. He currently
lives in Mexico City. His poetry has appeared in
the Hay(na)ku Anthology Vol. 2 (Meritage Press,
2008) and he is a founding member of LitPop,
an independent publishing house. He loves pop
culture in every manifestation.
Veronica Sandoval—Lady Mariposa was a
chola, but then she went to college. Now she
is an educated chola. She is a poet and spokenword artist. She lives in the Rio Grande Valley
and is working on her MFA. She hopes to one
day be a chola with a Ph.D.
Nina Serrano is a Bay Area poet, and KPFA’s
La Raza Chronicles host/producer. Serrano
conduct storytelling and poetry writing
workshops in schools and community centers.
Her novel Nicaragua Way will be published by
WorkWoman Press in 2011. She was cited as
“Best Local Poet” by Oakland Magazine in July
2010.
has been active in the Mission poetry scene
since the 1970s, organizing poetry readings
and writing poems. Alfonso is on the staff of
El Tecolote newspaper where he serves as the
caledario editor highlighting community events
and resources.
Roberto Vargas was born in Nicaragua,
and raised in the Mission District. He was
counselor of cultural affairs at the Nicaraguan
Embassy in Washington, D.C. (1979-1986),
and Nicaraguan ambassador to China (1990).
He is the author of several collections of poetry,
including Primeros Cantos. He works for the
American Federation of Teachers in Texas.
Roberto Ariel Vargas and his writing reflects
his life in el barrio of La Misión in San
Francisco, the streets of Washington, D.C. and
the tropical power of revolutionary Nicaragua.
His poems appeared in several Cipactli editions
in the mid-1990’s. Ariel is now telling stories in
the tradition of the Azteka Mexika tlamatinis/
poets/ and danzantes of La Mexicanidad.
Vickie Vértiz was born and raised in Los
Angeles. She earned degrees in political science
from Williams College and public affairs from
the University of Texas, Austin. Her work
is featured in Galeria de la Raza’s Lunadas
Anthology, in addition to the Anthology, I Saw
My Ex at a Party from Intersection for the Arts,
and Mujeres de Maiz. She currently lives in the
Mission.
Alma Luz Villanueva is a San Francisco
native, author of eight books of poetry, most
recently Soft Chaos (2009), and the short story
collection, Weeping Woman, La Llorona and
Other Stories. She has taught in the creative
writing program at Antioch University in Los
Angeles for the past seven years. She is now
living in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Yezmin Villarreal was born in Hermosillo,
Sonora, and grew up in Phoenix, Ariz.
She currently attends Guilford College in
Greensboro, N.C.
Nellie Wong is the author of three books of
poetry. She is an Oakland native and current
resident of San Francisco. She has been featured
in Mitsuye & Nellie: Asian American Poets, and
has two poems inscribed in public sites and on
Market Street and in the Embarcadero.
Alfonso Texidor, born in Santure Puerto Rico,
revista, de página 2
Francisco Santana, Pedro Ramírez; y estrellas
de la literatura latinoamericana como Ernesto
Cardenal, Julio Cortázar, Fernando Alegría,
Manlio Argueta, Elías Nandino, entre otros.
Artistas visuales también tuvieron un papel
importante en La Revista Literaria de El
Tecolote, contribuyendo sin vacilación su arte
visual que iba más allá se meras ilustraciones
y que tenía gran calidad artística para hacer
de cada número una muestra comunitaria de
gran arte. Entre los artistas contribuyentes
están algunos de los artistas chicanos/latinos
más sobresalientes de los últimos 30 años:
Rupert García, José Montoya, Juan Fuentes,
Malaquías Montoya, Graciela Carrillo, Yolanda
López, Juan Alicia, Emmanuel Montoya, Peter
Rodríguez, René Yañez, Guillermo Arana, Sal
García, entre otros.
Esta edición literaria especial de El Tecolote:
una celebración poética del pasado y el
presente
Esta edición literaria especial de El Tecolote
fue realizada por miembros del personal del
periódico y editores voluntarios siguiendo el
mismo espíritu de apertura, inclusividad y
servicio comunitario que distingue a El Tecolote
desde su inicio. Los editores decidieron celebrar
los primeros 40 años de El Tecolote con la
publicación de una edición literaria especial
de 20 páginas que muestra la gran diversidad e
intereses presentes tanto de poetas establecidos
como de nuevas voces emergentes.
Los poemas de los 55 poetas incluidos
www.eltecolote.org
aquí reflejan un gran panorama temático:
reflexiones sobre la escritura de la poesía
misma; exploraciones sobre orígenes nacionales,
grupales y auto-identidad; celebraciones del
barrio de La Misión; el debate actual sobre la
inmigración y la protesta contra la xenofóbica
ley SB 1070; y los temas universals del amor,
la familia y los tributos a héroes e iconos
culturales. Hemos incluido arte de La Revista
Literaria de El Tecolote original así como nuevo
arte visual de distinguidos artistas.
En este momento estamos trabajando en la
edición de un libro, una antología poética
bilingüe con el título Palabras en Vuelo / Words
in Flight: Una Antología Poética en Celebración
de El Tecolote, que incluirá la obra de los 55
poetas publicados en este número, así como a
otros poetas.
Para celebrar los 40 años de El Tecolote, también
presentaremos “Floricanto en La Misión”, una
lectura poética colectiva de 40 poetas invitados.
Será en colaboración con el Centro Cultural de
la Misión el 29 de agosto de 2010. Por favor de
ver el anuncio que aparece en la última página.
Éste es un evento para recaudar fondos para
esta edición literaria especial y para la antología
poética como libro.
El poema escrito específicamrnte para esta
edición por Juan Felipe Herrera, ganador del
prestigioso Premio Nacional del Círculo de
Críticos Literarios en 2009, habla por todos
nosotros para felicitar a El Tecolote por sus
primeros 40 años. ¡Que esta sabia ave continúe
extendiendo sus alas y emprenda vuelo sobre
nuestra comunidad por un largo tiempo!
FRIDAY
NIGHTS
06
Aug.
¿Necesitas dentista?
Encuentra la naturaleza de tu sonrisa
at the de Young
Carolina Blanco, DDS
450 Sutter Street #1905
San Francisco
(415) 871 4446
DJ Carlos
Música latina y de todo género.
Gran variedad de música en inglés.
Real pantalla gigante y rayo láser.
Contrate 5 horas y reciba 1 GRATIS.
Work of art by TWIST. Take from Quality of Life, Director of Photography Kev Robertson
Tel: 415-374-5587
From 5–8:45pm with free programs and live music.
Enjoy cocktails and a French-inspired prix fixe menu in the café.
Regular admission applies to visit the galleries.
sí truena!
¡Aquí su chicharrón
> VIEW the special exhibition Birth of Impressionism:
Masterpieces from the Musée d’Orsay and To Dye
For: A World Saturated in Color.
> ENJOY a live compilation of French Gypsy, Eastern
European and America Jazz music by Amaldecor.
> WATCH the Mission Muralismo
film series featuring Piece by Piece
at 5:30pm and Quality of Life at
6:50pm, followed by a Q&A with the
films directors at 8:15pm. In the Koret
Auditorium, seating is on a first-come,
first-served basis.
> CREATE your own stencil street art.
Friday Nights at the de Young is part of FAMSF’s Cultural Encounters
initiative generously funded by The James Irvine Foundation, The Wallace
Foundation, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Columbia
Foundation, and the Winifred Johnson Clive Foundation.
Golden Gate Park
50 Tea Garden Drive
deyoungmuseum.org
415.750.3600
Y las carnitas saben más sabrosas y la masa
está bien fresca y lista para sus tamales.
Ordene sus tamales de pollo,
rajas, puerco, estilo guatemalteco o dulces. Venga y compruebe porque somos los favoritos de los tragones.
2916 24 street (entre Alabama y Florida), San Francisco
Un tamal
de elote...
¡Gratis!
Pedidos: 415-826-1363
La Victoria Bakery
Saturdays
0 years with La Victoria
6
g
n
i
t
Bake
bra
e
l
e
ry.
C
Every Saturday:
Sweet Corazón
de la Mission
Food Cart
Festival
6-9 pm
Music
July 31 & Aug 7
Ruth Perry (urban
sounds blended
with African and
world beats)
What’s your greatest memory of La Victoria Bakery and Kitchen (Mexican
Restaurant)? Give it to us in 300 words or less and win a free meal for 4. All 10
runner-ups get a great food prize for Soul Cocina on Wednesday August 25, 2010.